Secrets
by GabrielaC
Summary: Ron proposes, but Hermione has a secret. Will it ruin everything? One-shot for now.


Ron led Hermione to a park bench and sat down next to her. They were just finishing up what had turned out to be the best date Hermione had ever been on. After sitting in comfortable silence for a moment, Ron took both of Hermione's hands in his and dropped to one knee. "Hermione," he began, "Being with you makes me the happiest man alive. I've felt this way every day of the two years we've been dating--ever since Voldemort's downfall. I would like to feel this way every day for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"

Hermione looked at Ron's earnest face and felt a familiar twinge. _She hadn't told him_. She had every intention of telling him. She kept waiting for the right moment. She had wanted to tell him before things got to this point--long before. But now here they were, and she still hadn't told him.

_Well_, she said to herself. _It's now or never. There are times when a woman has to say what's in her heart, even when she knows how much it will hurt. Never is not an option_.

Ron must have seen something in her face. "Hermione..." he began.

She held up a hand to stop him, then patted the seat beside her. She didn't want him hearing what she had to say still on his knees from proposing. "Before you say another word," she said, "Let me say this. I love you. Nothing could change that."

"But?" he prompted.

"But there's a confession that I need to make. There's...been another man that I've...grown to love." She risked a glange at his face to see the shock and betrayal written there. "But that doesn't mean I love you any less!" she quickly added, hoping to stave off an explosion. It didn't help.

"You _WHAT_!?" Ron shouted, jumping to his feet. He began to pace back and forth, shooting questions at her as he did. "Who?! Is it someone I know? How long has this been going on? I thought we had something special. I thought..." He fell silent and stopped short as he was struck by a sudden, horrible realization. He whirled to face her, acuzation in his gaze. "Why did you...When I told you I wanted to wait, did you...Have you been...?"

"No," she said. Hermione knew exactly what he meant, and although she was slightly offended that he would think such a thing of her, she wasn't suprised. After all, she had kept one secret from her. How could he know that it was the only one? "He has never...possessed...me, and he knows he never will. I respect your desire to wait until marriage for that, and I am likewise saving myself, as well."

"Then, why?" The heartbreak was readily apparent in his voice.

Hermione sighed. She was trying to be as gentle as she could, but it was so hard. Every word pained her--ripped at her like a knife. "There's just...this empty place inside of me that only he could fill."

Ron dropped to the seat beside her and burried his face in his hands. "Have I ever been enough for you, Hermione?" he asked, voice slightly muffled. "Where did I fail? Was there anything I could have done differently? Or was our relationship doomed before it even began? How can I believe all the things you've ever told me, knowing this now?" He paused, and his next question was so quiet Hermione had to strain to hear it. "How do I know you if you even really love me?"

Hermine shook her head. How could she reassure him? "You mustn't think you've failed me, just because there's someone else." She risked a hand on his back and was relieved when he didn't shrug it off. "You're the first love I've ever known." Emboldened, she pulled his hands away from his face to look him in the eye. "And all the things I've ever told you I've felt for you--I swear they're still true. I love you, Ron. And no one else can take the place in my heart I've given to you."

Ron dropped his gaze. "I want to believe you," he said, "but I don't know if I can." He rose to his feet and took a couple of steps away from her.

A single tear ran down Hermione's face and she struggled to keep her voice under control. "I can't blame you if you take your ring and walk away, never to speak to me again. But with everything I feel inside I'm asking you to stay."

Ron looked at the ring he still had clutched in one hand. Finally, he snapped it shut and slipped it into his pocket. "I'm sorry, Hermione," he said with his back still toward her. "I can't. I just...can't." And then he was gone.

Hermione couldn't keep her feelings bottled up for any longer. She burst into tears. _Just a week ago I had two men in my life_, she thought to herself as she cried. _And now I have none._

Disclaimer

Don't own it. If I did, the seventh book would have gone a lot differently--I'm not really a fan of _Harry and Friends Go Camping_.

A/N

Yeah, I know it's sappy.

So this was intended as a one-shot, but I might be tempted to extend it (or write a "six months earlier" maybe) if I get enough favorable reviews.

In other news, can anybody figure out what song this story is based on? Yeah, it's a songfic. I purposely didn't put "songfic" in the description or have the lyrics italicized separately in the text because I don't really like most songfics and tend to skip stories with either of these traits.

Thanks for reading!


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